Loose flooring and means for storing the same in railway-cars.



W. T. VAN DORN.

LOOSE FLOORING AND MEANS FOR STORING THE SAME IN RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 16, 1915.

Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

ATTORNEYS- LOOSE FLOORING AND MEANS FOR STORING THE SAME IN RAILWAY CARS.

W. T. VAN DORN.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I6, |915.

Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I Y. y- I 1N VEA/TOR.

ATTORNEYS.

W. T. VAN DORN.

LOOSE FLOORING AND MEANS FOR STORING THE SAME IN RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I5. 1915.

Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

IN VEN TOVR.

A TTORNE YS.

WILLIAM T. VAN DOEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LOOSE FLOORING AND MEANS FOR STORING THE SAME IN RAILWAY-CARS.

Speciiicetion of Letters Patent.

Patenten aan. 25, raie.

Application led April 16, 1915. Serial No. 21,772.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. VAN DoRN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Loose Flooring and Means for Storing the Same in Railway- Cars, and declare the following to be a-full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

Refrigerator cars and other railway cars that carry fruits, vegetables or other perish- ,able goods are generally provided with a loose removable floor arranged above the permanent oor of the car; this loose floor being so constructed that an air space is left above the permanent floor to provide for ventilation and circulation of air. Heretofore this loose iooring has been made of short joists across which are nailed boards lying a few inches apart; the floor being divided into sections which may be conveniently handled. This old style of flooring has many disadvantages. Thus, for example, thejoists take up considerable space which is therefore not effective air space, and they prevent any appreciable circulation or iow of air transversely thereof. Furthermore, cars provided with-loose iooring are often used for hauling other goods than those of a perishable nature and then the loose flooring, not being needed, either takes up much valuable space where it is piled up in the end or side of the car, or if removed from the car, it will not thereafter be at hand when it is again needed. Again, because of the nature of the loose flooring, it is always a temptation to those having access to the empty cars to take a section or two for their own use. Consequently, because of removal of the flooring when not required, carelessness of workmen, and theft, there is great wastage of loose flooring; putting the railroads to a great expense, not only on account of the actual cost of the flooring to be replaced but also because of the delay in placing a car in condition to be loaded when it is found that more or less of the loose flooring is missing. On the other hand, even where not misused, the life of the flooring because of the manner of constructing the iooring is short.

Generally speaking, the object of the present invention is twofold, being to overcome the defects in the old loose {iooring for cars and also in the old methods of taking care of the flooring when not in use.

.Specifically stated, my invention may be said to have for its object, first, to produce a sectional removable flooring which shall occupy a minimum amount of space, afford full and free circulation in all directions and perfect ventilation, and be durable and permanent in character; and, second, to provide means for conveniently storing the flooring in the car in such a Way that it will leave the load-carrying space in the car substantially clear when the latter is to be loaded with goods which do not require the loose flooring, and will liold the iooring sections against accidental displacement and permit the entire iooring to be placed under lock or seal when so stored.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through a car equipped with my invention, the dotted lines illustrating the manner of storing the loose flooring; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of one of the floor sections, on a larger scale; Fig. 3 is an edge view of a ioor section looking in the direction of the length of the car; Fig. 4 is an edge view of a floor section looking across the car; Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the car shown in Fig. 1, but on a larger scale; Fig. 6 is a view of a fragment of the middle portion of one side of the car near the top, looking from the inside; and Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing the flooring sections in storage, the last section being just about to be lifted into its final resting place.

In carrying out my invention l make the loose ooring in sections each extending` the full width of the car and of such length that it may be conveniently handled. In the arrangement shown, each section is made of a series of top cross pieces, l, lying parallel with each other and at some distance apart, these cross pieces being secured to supporting members, 2, 3 and 4, two of which are located at some distance from the ends of 'at about the middle.

the cross pieces while the other is arranged The ooring mayof course be made of wood, of metal, or of wood and metal combined. In the specific arrangement illustrated, the cross pieces are of wood faced at the ends by strips of metal, 5, each strip being preferably continuous and extending past all of the cross pieces so as to give the iooring section smooth ends which will not catch in bolt heads or nuts or other projections and will not wear as would the projecting ends of the cross pieces. The four corners of each section may be cut away slightly as lindicated at 6, the metal strips being continued along the inclined surfaces thus formed. The supporting members, in the arrangement illustrated, consist of simple built-up metal girders each comprising a top angle iron, 7, a bottom angle iron, 8, and braces, 9, extending'between the angle irons and secured to corresponding flanges thereof. The cross pieces are bolted, riveted or otherwise secured to the upper angle iron of each supporting member. In order to make the supporting members rigid in the lateral direction, I place one or more braces, 10, between each of the lower chords and the cross pieces, these braces holding the supporting girders and the flooring pieces or cross members rigidly together. The sections are made just long enough to fit nicely within the car, so that there will be no considerable lateral play which will cause them to pound against the sides of the car and rattle. v

Then the sectional flooring is to be used it is placed upon the permanent floor, 12, of a car as shown in full lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, there being sulicient sections to lill the car from end to end or from one refrigerator to another, if it be a refrigerator car. It will be seen that when the loose oor is in its working position it affords a strong solid support for the goods to be carried, leaves a maximum air space between the flooring boards of the temporary Hoor and those of the permanent floor, and permits free circulation in all directions within this space, instead of dividing the space into independent compartments as is the case where imperforate wooden'joists are employed. j

The second feature of my invention has to do with the storage of the loose flooring sections when they are not needed. In order that the loose flooring shall be immediately available, when needed, it is necessary that it be always carried about as a xture of the car; but where it is piled up in a heap or heaps on the floor of the car it takes up valuable space which could otherwise be lled with freight and thus materially cuts down the capacity of the car. In accordance with my invention, the loose flooring, when not in use, is stored in the space in the car which is least frequently needed for receiving freight, namely a shallow zone extending throughout the length of the car just under the roof. This is accomplished by arranging tracks or guiding supports on the sides of the car just beneath the roof and extending horizontally throughout the length of the car', and providing means for permitting the flooring sections to be placed thereon.

In the arrangement illustrated, the tracks or guiding supports are simple angle irons,

vlet and 15, secured'to the car sides, 16 and 17, only far enough below the roof or ceiling, 18, to give ample clearance between the latter and the top of the iooring strips or cross pieces, 1, when these rest at their ends on the angle irons. The flooring sections are placed on the tracks with the supporting members, 2, 3 and 4, on the under side and, since the flooring strips lie close tothe roof or ceiling, the height of the clear space in the car is not appreciably reduced except where these supporting members are, and even then the reduction need not be over about seven inches. It will therefore be seen that when the loose iooring is stored in the top of the car, as just described and as illustrated in dotted lines in Figs. l and 5, it is out of the way so that none of the valuable iioor space is wasted and the car can be loaded to full capacity.

By placing the supporting tracks close to the roof or ceiling, the ooring sections are held securely in place and cannot accidentally fall down; but this also necessitates the making of special provision for placing the sections in position on and removing them from the tracks. As the tracks must extend throughout the length of the car and must be held securel-y in place in order to carry their load satisfactorily, I prefer to x the entire tracks permanently to the car body except for a short section in each track which may be moved vto provide a doorway through which the flooring sections may be inserted and removed. The movable track sections are preferably placed at the center of the car'so as to make the distance through which the iooring sections must be carried, in shifting them from the bottom of the car to the top or vice versa, .as short as possible.

In the arrangement illustrated, each track is provided with a loose section at the center of the car, these sections being about as long as one of the ooring sections and each being hinged to the carat one end, as at 2l, so that it may be swung up and down. At the free end of each of the movable track sections is a lever, 22, pivoted at a point between its ends to the corresponding track section, as indicated at 23. The parts are so proportioned that each lever has a long arm lying beside the track section on which it is mounted and has a short arm projecting beyond the track section, the short arm being preferably displaced downwardly out of alinement with the long arm. The free end of the short arm of each lever is connected to the adjacent end of the stationary track by a link, 24, pivotally fastened to the lever and the stationary track-*as indicated at 25 and 26, respectively. Between the free end of the long arm of each of the levers and its supporting track section is a suitable holding device which may conveniently consist of a bolt, 27, on the lever and a guard, 28, for receiving the bolt, on the track. The parts are so proportioned that when the long arms of the levers are swung into alinement with theirl supporting track sections, these track sections are alined with the stationary track sections and may be locked in such alinement by slipping the bolts into their guards. When the bolts are withdrawn, the weight of the movable track sections and of the levers causes the free ends of the track sections to drop down as far as the flexible supports composed of the links 24 and the short arms of the levers will permit, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 6 and in full lines in Fig. 7.

"When in the lowered positions, the movable track sections serve as inclined ways or skids upon the lower ends.l of which one end of a flooring section may be laid, the fiooring section being then pushed up along the inclined tracks to and upon the stationary tracks in rear thereof. This is the practice followed in taking up the loose flooring and storing it, one section after another being placed upon the tracks until one end of the car is full; the movable track sections being then raised and the flooring sections on the tracks in one end of the car being slid along the tracks into the other end; the movable track sections being then again lowered and the empty tracks filled up again; and after all but one of the flooring sections have been stored, the last section is laid upon the movable track sections which are then swung up and locked in alinement with the stationary sections, carrying the overlying flooring section along and inserting it between those filling the stationary portions of the tracks. When all of the loose flooring is on the tracks it fills the ear from end to end and from side to side, just as it does when resting on the floor of the car, and consequently it cannot shift about and rattle.

After all of the loose flooring has been stored. padlocks or car seals maybe passed through the holding bolts for the movable track sections, so that the flooring will be held secure not only against accidental loss through carelessness but also against loss through theft. The removal of the flooring sections from the storage tracks, when they are to be used, is effected by simply reversing the operation of storing them.

It will thus be seen that by means of a few simple inexpensive attachments to a car I have made the loose iiooring a permanent fixture which with ordinary care will not become mislaid, lost or stolen, is always available when wanted, may be stored or returned to the bottom of the car in a few minutes, and, when stored, is entirely out of the way and permits the car to be loaded in practically the same way and to the same capacity as though the loose flooring were entirely removed therefrom. In addition, the flooring itself, considered simply as a flooring, is stronger, more durable, affords more perfect ventilation and, in general, is better adapted for its purpose than the old type of flooring.

W'hile I' have illustrated and described with particularity only a single specific practised embodiment of each of the features of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the terms employed in the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

If desired, the supporting girders of the flooring may be hinged so as to permit them to be swung up out of the way when the flooring is stored in the top of the car, suitable lock or catch devices being provided for holding the girders in either of their positions.

I claim:

1. A floor section of the character described, comprising spaced open-work girders and iooring strips extending across and secured upon said girders in spaced relation to each other.

2. A floor section of the character described, comprising spaced open-work girders, flooring strips extending across and secured upon said girders in spaced relation to eachother, and facing strips extending lengthwise of the section at the ends of said strips in order to make the edges of the section at the ends continuous.

3. A floor section of the character described, comprising spaced open-work metal girders and wooden flooring strips extending across and secured upon said girders in spaced relation to each other.

4. A floor section of the character described, comprising spaced open-work metal girders, wooden flooring strips extending across and secured upon said girders in spaced relation to each other, and metal facing strips extending throughout the length of the section across the end edges of the flooring strips.

5. A floor section of the character described, comprising spaced girders each formed of parallel upper and lower angle gli irons and connecting pieces between the angle irons, and iiooring strips extending across and secured upon the upper angle irons of the girders in spaced relation to each other.

6. A iioor section of the character described, comprising spaced open-work girders formed out of structural iron members fastened together, flooring strips extending across and secured upon said girders in spaced relation to each other, and braces extending laterally and upwardly from the lower chords of said girders to the flooring strips.

7 The combination with a car, of a loose flooring comprising sections each composed of spaced girders adapted to rest wholly on the permanent iioor of the car and iooring strips extending across and secured upon the girders with the ends projecting beyond the outermost girders, and supporting tracks for the loose flooring arranged within and at Vopposite sides of the car at a distance below the ceiling less than the depth of the girders.

8. The combination with a car, of loose flooring comprising` spaced girders adapted to rest upon the permanent floor of the car and flooring strips extending across and secured upon the girders, and means for supporting said loose iooring just beneath the ceiling of the car with said flooring strips lying adjacent to the ceiling and the girders on the under side. v

9. The combination with a car, of a loose sectional flooring, each section of the flooring comprising spaced girders adapted to rest upon the permanent floor of the car and flooring strips extending across and secured upon said girders, and means for storing said sectional ooring in the top of the car with the flooring strips lying just beneath the roof or ceiling and the girders projecting downwardly.

10. The combination with a car, of a sectional flooring adapted to rest upon the main iioor of the car, tracks arranged within the car at opposite sides thereof and just below the roof or ceiling, the length of the tracks being equal to the length of the loose flooring, and a single section of each of said tracks being movable to provide a space through which the sections of the flooring may be introduced in order to place the loose iooring on said tracks.

11. The combination with a car, of a sectional iiooring adapted to rest upon the main floor of the car, tracks arranged within the car at opposite sides thereof and just below the roof or ceiling, the length of the tracks being equal tothe length of the loose ooring, and a single section of each of said tracks of a length approximately equal to the length of a iooring section being movable to provide a space through just below the roof or ceiling, corresponding sections of said tracks being hinged at one end, and means for supporting the other ends of said track'sections so as to permit them to be raised and lowered.

u 13. The combination with a car, of a sectlonal flooring adapted to rest upon the main ioor of the car, tracks arranged within the car at opposite sides thereof and just below the roof or ceiling, corresponding sections of said tracks being hinged at one end, and supporting means for the other ends of said track sections constructed and arranged to permit them to move from positions in alinement with the stationary portions of the tracks to positions in which they make an acute angle with said stationary portions and are adapted to serve as inclined ways or guides along which the ooring sections may be pushed.

14. The combination with a car, of a sectional iiooring adapted to rest upon the main Hoor of the car, tracks arranged within the car at opposite sides thereof and just below the roof or ceiling, corresponding sections of said tracks being hinged at one end, levers lying beside said track sections and pivotally connected thereto near the free ends of the latter, one arm of each of the levers projecting beyond the corresponding track section, a flexible connection between the projecting arm of each lever and a stationary part, and means for holding each lever against movement relative to its track position.

15. The combination with a car, of a sectional fiooring adapted to rest upon the main oor of the car, tracks arranged within the car at opposite sides thereof and just below the roof or ceiling, corresponding sections of said tracks being hinged at one end, a lever lying beside and projecting beyond the free end of each of said track sections, each lever being pivoted` to the corresponding hinged track section near the free end of the latter, links connecting the projecting ends of said levers with the stationary track portions adjacent to the free ends of the hinged sections, and means for locking said levers to the track sections on which they are mounted.

16. A Hoor section of the character de scribed, comprising spaced open-work girders and an open-work fiooring extending across and secured upon said girders.

17. The combination with a car, of a sectional flooring adapted to rest upon the main Hoor of the car, tracks arranged within the car at opposite sides thereof, below the roof or ceiling, corresponding sections of said tracks being hinged at one end so as to permit said track sections to be swung from a position in which they register with the stationary portions of the track to a position in which they make an acute angle with said stationary portions, and means for supporting the movable track sections in the latter position.

18. The combination with a car, of a sectional looring adapted to rest upon the main floor of the car, and supports arranged at opposite sides of the car just below the roof or ceiling for holding said sectional flooring elevated, said supports including members movable from an inclined position in which they serve as guides or ways along which the sectional ooring may be pushed to positions in which they assist in holding the ,sectional flooring elevated.

19. The combinatlon with a car, of a sectional flooring adapted to rest upon the main floor of the car, supports within the car at opposite sides thereof and just below the roof or ceiling for holding said sectional ooring elevated, said supports including members each hinged at one end so as to swing about horizontal aXes, together with means for raising and lowering the other ends of said members.

20. The combination with a car, of a sectional flooring adapted to rest upon the main floor of the car, tracks arranged within the car at opposite sides thereof and just below the roof or ceiling, the length of the tracks being equal to the length of the loose flooring, and corresponding sections of said tracks being hinged at one end so as to be capable of swinging about horizontal axes.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification.

WILLIAM T. VAN DORN. 

